Rob Gronkowski has become the most talked-about player in fantasy football, and a revisionist historian’s No. 1 overall pick. But really, Julio Jones is the best player in fantasy. His stats are blowing away the competition – even Antonio Brown – and here are three reasons why.
The Falcons Have Figured Out Throwing To Him Every Time Works
This statement is an exaggeration, but only a slight one. Jones has seen double-digit targets in each of the first three weeks of the season, and he’s making them count. On Sunday Matt Ryan threw the ball to Jones 20 times; he reeled in 12 of those passes for 164 yards and two touchdowns. Jones hasn’t been held to fewer than 135 yards yet, and he’s scored two touchdowns twice in three games.
Atlanta Falcons Fantasy Preview
Jones’ ascension to another level has had a cost; Roddy White, once one of the finest receivers in the NFL has become an invisible man, and no other passing option in Atlanta’s offense is relevant, but it doesn’t matter. Jones has been unstoppable, and Atlanta will go with it.
His Size
Jones is one of the biggest receivers in the NFL. For some reason, that hasn’t translated in the past to touchdowns. Jones scored 10 times in 2012, but since then had eight touchdowns combined in his next 20 games. He’s already halfway to that total through three tilts in 2015.
Part of that was White’s ability to get open in tight quarters. That led to Ryan targeting White for easy scores, rather than making Jones catch contested passes. Through a combination of White’s decline, and Jones’ improvements, he’s now winning every one-on-one battle. He’s big enough to go get the ball in the red zone, and also big enough to take whacks over the middle of the field. He’s also gifted with such speed that he’s running free over the middle, and going too fast for defenders to even hit him.
Now that his technique and opportunity are matching his physical tools, he’s resembling a Marvel superhero.
The Team’s Health
QB Matt Ryan is one of the better passers in football, and he’s working behind a healthy offensive line, with healthy skill players, something he hasn’t enjoyed in the last two years. With time to find Jones, the Falcons are able to let him get down the field and make plays, rather than hitting him with short throws and asking him to do his damage with yards after the catch.
If Ryan has time, it allows the Falcons to run more explosive plays for Jones. Clearly he’s locked in so much that he can’t be stopped. If an unstoppable force is allowed to knife through a secondary, he’s going to wreak havoc.
His Position
Gronkowski's main selling point is that his dominance over the tight end position makes him the most valuable option. It's fair, but Jones has just as strong a hold on the WR spot right now. Antonio Brown has lost Ben Roethlisberger for several weeks, Demaryius Thomas has a QB showing his age throwing to him, and Odell Beckham Jr. has to worry about his team's offensive line. Jones is outscoring Gronkowski on raw totals, and he simply gets more looks.
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